Thursday Travels: Picnic

A stop along the Cabot Trail.  Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  Nova Scotia.  (8 June 2012)

A stop along the Cabot Trail. Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Nova Scotia. (8 June 2012)

Soon they were all sitting on the rocky ledge, which was still warm, watching the sun go down into the lake.  It was the most beautiful evening, with the lake as blue as a cornflower and the sky flecked with rosy clouds.  They held their hard-boiled eggs in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other, munching happily.  There was a dish of salt for everyone to dip their eggs into.

‘I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,’ said George.

~ Enid Blyton, Five Go Off in a Caravan

It is not sunset, but it is time to stop for a picnic lunch and relax before our next hike.  Although we weren’t able to complete the entire Glasgow Lakes Look-Off Trail, we still managed to hike for a few hours, rock hopping and wading through the stream that was the trail.  (See last week’s Thursday Travels if you’re not sure what I’m going on about.)  A little rest and refueling were in order.  I agree with George.  Food does taste better when I’m eating it outdoors.

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Thursday Travels: Leaving the Glasgow Lakes Look-Off Trail

(8 June 2012.  Glasgow Lakes Look-Off Trail.  Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  Nova Scotia.)

(8 June 2012. Glasgow Lakes Look-Off Trail. Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Nova Scotia.)

Now that we’ve had a little rest on that rock just to the right, it’s time to make our way back.  We have other trails to hike since this one turned out to be under water.

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Thursday Travels: Glasgow Lakes Look-Off

Middle Ridge School, 1876.  (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.  8 June 2012.)

Middle Ridge School, 1876. (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. 8 June 2012.)

After breakfast at the cabin, M and I drove a short distance to reenter Cape Breton Highlands National Park for our first Cape Breton hike.  The day, as you may or may not recall from my previous Thursday Travels post, was gorgeous.

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Thursday Travels: Morning at the cabin

Hanging around

Hanging around

Last week I showed you our first sunrise at the cabin we rented on South Harbor, just off the Cabot Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia.  This little red squirrel hung out with us whenever we were at the cabin.  It might have been our company, but I think the seed in the bird feeder was the bigger attraction.

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Thursday Travels: Cape Breton sunrise

South Harbor sunset.  Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.  (7 June 2012)

South Harbor sunset. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. (7 June 2012)

In the last edition of Thursday Travels, M and I had just arrived at the cabin we rented on South Harbor, not far from the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.  We got there just in time for sunset although we didn’t see the sun itself.  Just a band of light on the horizon.

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Thursday Travels: It took my breath away

The Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail (7 June 2012)

Last week we left off on the Cabot Trail, probably not far from MacKenzie Mountain, trying to get to the cabin before dark.  We needn’t have worried.  We were far enough north and close enough to the Summer Solstice that daylight lasted a good long while.

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Thursday Travels: The Cabot Trail

The ship wreck (on the right in the distance).

The shipwreck (on the right, in the water, in the distance).

I have travelled around the globe.  I have seen the Canadian Rockies, the American Rockies, the Andes and the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland; but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all.

~ Alexander Graham Bell

During the last Thursday Travels (A Friday edition of Thursday Travels:  The Ceilidh Trail), we left off at the shipwreck, just after visiting the Glenora Distillery.  It was shortly after this that we began our trek (okay, it was really a ride) on the Cabot Trail.

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